30 May 2016

Hola Spain - Nerja and beyond - My dream holiday

When I heard that Clickstay were asking bloggers to plan their dream holiday in Spain...I couldn't wait to play along and share my dream holiday.

I flirted with the idea of one of the luxury villas in Ibiza, a place that is more than the hype of the young scene and clubbers around the world, with its lovely beaches and stunning cliff top views that don't often get a mention. The villa's all look amazing and I could see myself going with the girls for an ultra modern adventure and staying in a stunning location...it's a fantasy rather than a dream as at the moment whilst my babies are little, holidays are all about sandcastles and family adventures.

Deep down I knew instantly where my dream holiday would be and its somewhere I grew up knowing but has become a distant memory in adulthood. I have so many good memories and fun family times and know I want to share this special place with my family.

My dream Spanish holiday would be in Nerja, the eastern point of Malaga's Costa del Sol. I only knew the unspoilt landscape and winding coastal roads down to the best beaches ever and would love to go back now to see how its changed. Even now my memories of the beauty of the place still stay with me and I can remember car journeys where we all just stared out the windows on our way to another sunny day full of adventures.

This is a special place for me as we stayed there every year when I was young, we had our own villa that became a home from home in the school holidays. We'd swim in the pool, go out into Nerja town in the early evening and I thought it was so glamorous and fun . We spent many a day at our favourite beach, Ayo's, (& there are lots to choose from in and around Nerja), making new friends and playing in the sea. It's now famous for its huge pots of paella (apparently it is the most photographed) and the sardines cooking under the sand. Here is an early picture I took on my polaroid of Ayo and the amazing paella...as a youngster I never had it because of the tentacles and prawns poking out all over the place but now I'd be first in that queue.

So I would love to take my babies to the place I called holiday home. I want to take them to the beach for the day and jump in and out of the surf, make sand castles and go to Ayo's beach bar. Watch as they turn the massive paella and dig our toes in the soft, cool sand at the table and talk about the fun things we could do in the afternoon.

I found the perfect accommodation on Clickstay's website: it sleeps 6 so we could easily take nanny and granddad with us so they too could relive a bit of their youth too. It'd be the first holiday abroad for the children and the first with their grandparents so you can imagine the excitement for them.

I've picked an apartment near the beach as there is nothing better than sitting outside eating breakfast and seeing the sea and getting excited for the day to start. It'll also be my dream apartment because it'd allow me to have a bit of a rest and relax knowing that it might be early (my little ones are usually up at the break of dawn...yawn) but I could relax with a coffee, take in the scenery as they safely played on the veranda.

We'd hire a car and explore the towns nearby and especially Nerja town, I remember the shops selling shells and little spanish dresses that I always badgered my parents to buy me. As well as all the amazing family friendly beaches nearby that we could just arrived at and watch the sunset or run around as an after dinner treat. Not forgetting the caves of Nerja which I think would be a big hit for hubby and the kids.

Hopefully the hubby and I would leave the little man napping in the apartment under the watchful eyes of nanny and garg (granddad) and go down to the beach with bubba. I don't spend nearly as much time with her alone now as I'd like and we would search for shells to bring home to remind us of our holiday. Or paddle our toes in the crystal clear water and laze around until it was time to collect the whirlwind of a boy and go onto our next adventure.

We might even manage a date night at a little tapas bar if we're lucky. Or if not, enjoy a bottle of wine whilst the children sleep and cook up a Mediterranean feast. Just look at that view, amazing and the perfect place to chill out after a long day in the sunshine.

I know we'd go back to the airport, past the big bull on the hill, sun kissed, relaxed and happy. It's my dream to go every year just like we did when I was a child. Mostly this would be my dream holiday if we could make some new memories and take some pictures of the kids smiling and enjoying themselves. Just like I used to.

There is an exciting readers competition too: For a chance to win your own £500 villa voucher and camera visit the Clickstay website. You must check out all the other amazing villa's with the hashtag #blogyourwaytospain on twitter.